Sunshine®
CHILD & PARENT CLASSES - LEARN FOUNDATIONS WITH STRUCTURE
Sunshine® 1 is the earliest start of our full music foundations. We use the Music For Young Children programs.
Sunshine® 1 level only available
25 weeks
3-4 year olds
available in Byron
1 beginning package materials at market cost.
-
This first experience class in full music training is for little people 3 and 4 years old with an adult as the child’s assistant! We have great fun in activities, songs, stories, and piano time with rhyme. We immerse ourselves in all of this at a level developmentally appropriate to the child.
This session 1A starts building understanding of the keyboard letters of C, D, E, & F; patterns in sound going higher and lower; learning solfedge with rote song learning and going to hand signs; and foundational experiences in note values using rhythm instruments in class.
The next 12 weeks in level 1, 1B, adds the reminder of the music alphabet, G, A, & B, and the note values in rhythm reading and writing. We also add more understanding and terms for our dynamics pp, p, f, & ff; finger numbers as used in piano; continue growing solfedge.
In the final 12 weeks for Sunshine® level 1, 1C, we continue to build understanding and abilities in all the elements thus-far and we begin to have the children move onto a single staff in treble clefs of bass clef. We now are able to work with all the stories of letter and rhythm friends, rhymes, pitch experiences, visual training in patterns and staff to help the children to play a music scale in the key of C major!
full year overview-
Sunshine® 1, the youngest of our Music Foundations with Piano programs, is the beginning point for 3-4 year olds in MYC® classes. Our focus is foundational - building their foundation in music skills including reading based in learning to play the piano. Students experience movement through beats and rhythms, as well as developing their fine motor skills with rhythm plays and instrument ensemble playing.
All of our TMC and MYC programs are fabulous foundations leading to any instrument lessons.
Children start learning the geography of the piano and note-reading through our MYC Critters (and their stories to which the children can relate). By the end of the SS1 level (three calendar quarters - A,B,C), children are able to play their first scale (C Major) and are playing short songs while reading from the staff. In class we have many experiences, such as identifying like/different, matching, patterns, and reinforcing and recalling the music concepts. Concepts and skills are reinforced with fun at-home activities at the piano keys, singing, chanting, rhymes. Also with exciting things like scissors cutting, gluing, and coloring.
We do do pint-sized yet grown-up learning! Meaning…the children are experiencing and learning the foundational elements of music. Next, is a list illustrating some of the skills worked on in the year.
• Learning piano and rhythm through MYC’s unique keyboard and rhythm ‘critters’
• off-the-staff reading for contour and patterns
• steady beat experiences
• solfedge hand signs and rote learning of songs
• on-the-staff reading in treble clef and bass clef
• listening to - identify and use dynamics (loud and quiet sounds)
• listening to a rhythm pattern and writing it using rhythm writing tools. This is sometimes referred to as rhythm dictation.
Registration for Sunshine 1 is expected for the 9 months usually September through May. We have payments conveniently broken into three quarterly payments. Many supplies are needed at the beginning of the year and the first quarter Sessions payment is higher than the following two Sessions. Each Session quarter you will receive the next book and additional supplies for class and the at home activities.
Class details for Sunshine 1 and 2 Levels
-
Sunshine® 1, the youngest of the keyboard programs. It is the starting point of the MYC® Method for 3-4 year old beginners. Our focus is foundational - building their foundation in music skills including reading based in learning to play the piano. Students experience movement through beats and rhythms, as well as developing their fine motor skills with rhythm plays and instrument ensemble playing. All of our TMC and MYC programs are fabulous foundations leading to any instrument lessons.
Children start learning the geography of the piano and note-reading through our MYC Critters (and their stories to which the children can relate). By the end of the SS1 level (three calendar quarters - A,B,C), children are able to play their first scale (C Major) and are reading from the staff. In class we have many pre-reading experiences, such as identifying like/different, matching, patterns, and reinforcing and recalling the music concepts. Concepts and skills are reinforced with fun at-home activities at the piano keys and with exciting things like scissors cutting, gluing, and coloring.
We do do pint-sized yet grown-up learning! Meaning…the children are experiencing and learning the foundational elements of music. Next, is a list illustrating some of the skills worked on in the year.
• Learning piano and rhythm through MYC’s unique keyboard and rhythm ‘critters’
• off-the-staff reading for contour and patterns
• steady beat experiences
• solfedge hand signs and rote learning of songs
• on-the-staff reading in treble clef and bass clef
• listening to - identify and use dynamics (loud and quiet sounds)
• listening to a rhythm pattern and writing it using rhythm writing tools. This is sometimes referred to as rhythm dictation.
Registration for Sunshine 1 is expected for the 9 months September through May. We have payments conveniently broken into three quarterly payments. Many supplies are needed at the beginning of the year and the first quarter Sessions payment is higher than the following two Sessions. Each Session quarter you will receive the next book and additional supplies for class and the at home activities.
$514 1A beginning package (1B 12 wk=$440, 1C 12wk=$440)
-
Year 2 changes a little bit by having one student book instead of 3 books, A, B, & C. Sunshine 2 reviews and continues our wonderful fun of the first year. Sunshine® 2 completes all of the elements in an older children’s level of Sunbeams 1. To see more details read the Sunbeams 1 area. As the child completes Sunshine 2 they are ready to graduate to Sunbeams 2! The children are so excited to go from being a Sunshine to a Sunbeam!
Registration for Sunshine 2 is expected for the 9 months September through May.
Some of the elements your child will explore and learn are:
• Review and continuing development of: keyboard geography and rhythm through MYC’s unique keyboard “critters”, Identification and use of dynamics (loud and quite sounds) and listening to a rhythm pattern and writing it
• Expanded note reading in treble clef and bass clef
• Coordination of LH and RH playing
• Scale playing with harmonizing bridge chords in C Major, a minor and G Major
• Identification of melodic patterns
• continuing solfedge hand signs and rote learning of songs
• Introduction to staccato (detached) and legato (smooth) touches
• Information about famous composers in child size bites
Music for Young Children®
The Music for Young Children classes provide the best quality music education to young children by blending the pleasure and the joy of music making with sound instruction. Our MYC classes promote the happy habit of learning music so, much of what we do is in tune with the ages of the children. Adults, don’t underestimate the power of small sips of fun music learning for these young children. Our hope is to help each child internalize many music skills and then to naturally use them in music making now and as they grow.
-
The child’s adult in class is an integral part of the program. The adults role is not hard. The adult is in charge of getting the correct page open more quickly than the child would be able, taking out and completing the putting away of learning props, and being the child’s “music page conductor” with the pointer stick on the music page while the child is playing a song at the keys of the piano. They also are in charge of the assignment paper and are to assist the child in 5 to 10 minutes of “music time at home” 5 to 6 days each week. Something magical happens with a simple short review every day. The child remembers so much more and feels much more confident in class.
Children up to 8 years old may enter the MYC music learning. The oldest children beginning MYC will enter in the Moonbeams or My Choice books. In 3 years they complete the skills and theory to begin private instruction in piano at the intermediate level or begin another instrument. Because the child has already gained many skills in pitch, rhythm, staff reading, and additional foundational skills they are very ready to launch into advancing piano skills or a new instruments’ specific skills.
When a child completes this program they are ready to prepare to take an international level 1 theory and/or piano exam, having experienced all the elements for the exam. For example, if a 2 year old child began in Sunrise at 2 years and continues in an MYC class each year, by the time they turn 8 they will have completed the foundational skills of piano and music theory and will be ready to study any instrument or to begin piano literature in lessons - Amazing! Through these years the children are having fun enjoying the happy habit of learning music.
A personal note from Karen Welsh our Chief Manager here at Mapleford. “I’ve started this focus of music learning late in my career and I am very committed to the need of very strong content in a playful and caring environment for childrens learning. My primary desire is to bring very strong foundational music content to children before the age of 8. As always, as life does, we are surprised that the path we choose becomes more ‘interesting’ than we anticipated. So to for me in creating Mapleford Studio LLC. In the back of my mind I always thought I would add more classes than just Music Pups but I didn’t expect All ages. I am thrilled to be able to maintain my commitment to strong content in foundational learning for all ages - and we have a lot of fun and support each other in the music learning journey.”